Singapore: In the final throes of her amateur career, Lee Ji-hyun produced a brilliant birdie barrage to catapult Korea to the top of the leaderboard after the opening round of the 42nd Queen Sirikit Cup.

Taking an instant liking to the Masters Course at Laguna National Golf Resort Club, the 19-year-old snared eight birdies en route to a scintillating six-under-par 66 in hot and humid conditions.

With Kim Min-byeol contributing a 70, Korea posted a score of 136 in the 13-nation event that features teams of three. With the best two daily scores counting to the team aggregates, Bang Shin-sil’s 73 was discounted.

Four strokes off the pace in second place are the Japanese trio of Mizuki Hashimoto (70), Ayaka Tezuka (70) and Miku Ueta (71), with New Zealand third on 142.

Hosts Singapore are fourth on 144 followed by Chinese Taipei (145), Australia (146), Malaysia (148), Thailand (149), India (150), Hong Kong (151), the Philippines (156), Indonesia (158) and Myanmar (171).

In the individual standings, Lee holds a commanding four-shot lead over Kim, Hashimoto, Tezuka, Singapore's Shannon Tan and New Zealand’s Fiona Xu.

The shot of the opening day at Laguna National was produced by Chinese Taipei’s Huang Ting-hsuan. Using her nine-iron, the 17-year-old had a hole-in-one at the 135-yard 12th hole. Aided by that masterstroke, Huang shot a 73.

But the round of the day belonged to Lee, 56th in the latest World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

“I like this course and gave myself a lot of birdie chances,” said Lee, who is planning to relinquish her amateur status in July and join the Korean LPGA Tour.

Although she’s scheduled to play a Korean LPGA Tour event next month before turning pro, her maiden Queen Sirikit Cup appearance is most likely also the final tournament she plays against amateurs.

“To represent your country in a team event like the Queen Sirikit Cup is a big honour … and a big burden,” said Lee, aware that Korea has won the tournament on 12 of the last 13 occasions it’s been contested and began this week as favourites.

Thanks to precision shots off the tee and with her approaches, Lee made seven of her birdies from within 15 feet. Her longest putt of the day was a 30-footer.

For Lee, who spent a year living in New Zealand when she was 14, this is only her second visit to Singapore. The first came in late 2019 when she won the Singapore Island Country Club Junior Invitational.

Also making her second appearance in Singapore is Huang, who will long savour the first ‘ace’ of her golfing career.

Although she knew she struck a good shot, the bunker fronting the green at 12 obscured her view of the hole. “As I was walking onto the green I was looking around and wondering where my ball was. I couldn’t believe it was in the hole!” she said.

Team Scores

136 – Korea
140 – Japan
142 – New Zealand
144 – Singapore
145 – Chinese Taipei
146 – Australia
148 – Malaysia
149 – Thailand
150 – India
151 – Hong Kong
156 – Philippines
158 – Indonesia
171 – Myanmar

Individual Scores

66 – Lee Ji-hyun (Korea)
70 – Kim Min-byeol (Korea); Mizuki Hashimoto (Japan); Ayaka Tezuka (Japan); Shannon Tan (Singapore); Fiona Xu (New Zealand)
71 – Miku Ueta (Japan)
72 – Liao Hsin-chun (Chinese Taipei); Eun-seo Choi (New Zealand); Vivian Lu (New Zealand)
73 – Bang Shin-sil (Korea); Chloe Chan (Hong Kong); Huang Ting-hsuan (Chinese Taipei); Caitlin Peirce (Australia); Kirsten Rudgeley (Australia);  Zulaikah Nurziana Bt Nasser (Malaysia)
74 – Jaymie Ng (Singapore); Pimpisa Rubrong (Thailand)
75 – Liyana Durisic (Malaysia); Avani Prashanth (India); Sneha Singh (India); Yoko Tai (Singapore); Thitikarn Thapasit (Thailand)
76 – Khaing Phu Pwint Yati (Myanmar); Amie Pauline Taguines (Philippines)
77 – Kelsey Bennett (Australia); Natthakritta Vongtaveelap (Thailand)
78 – Arianna Lau (Hong Kong); Elaine Widjaja (Indonesia)
79 – Wu Chen-wei (Chinese Taipei)
80 – Janniya Dassani (India); Samantha Marie Dizon (Philippines); Bianca Naomi Amina Lakssono (Indonesia); Rayi Geulis Zullandari (Indonesia)
81 – Wang Xin-yi (Hong Kong)
82 – Ng Jing Xuen (Malaysia)
95 – Khin Moe Pyae Sone (Myanmar)
111 – Phoo Zayar Wai (Myanmar)
NR – Lois Kaye Go (Philippines)